1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for crushing and sorting cans to collect waste cans in an optimal weight-to-volume ratio or in a minimum volume-to-weight ratio, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for crushing and sorting cans, using a simple construction and a minimum number of processing steps.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, cans filled with various food, for example, beverages or beer, are made of a metal material such as iron or aluminum. After being emptied, most cans are disposed of as they are. For this reason, such waste cans cause severe environmental contamination, and increased waste of resources. In order to solve such problems, various proposals have been made which are adapted to collect emptied cans.
Recently, automatic can crushing devices have been proposed which can automatically crushing emptied cans supplied thereto, and then automatically collect the crushed cans. However, such conventional can crushing devices have a complicated construction, thereby involving frequent failures. Furthermore, such devices are very expensive.
In order to solve such problems, various can crushing devices having improved constructions have been proposed by the applicant. An example of such can crushing devices is disclosed in Korean Utility Model Registration No. 137011 entitled xe2x80x9cCan Crusherxe2x80x9d. Now, the can crusher disclosed in Korean Utility Model Registration No. 137011 will be described in brief with reference to FIG. 11 and FIGS. 12a and 12b. 
FIG. 11 is a front view illustrating an essential portion of the conventional can crusher. FIGS. 12a-1 and 12a-2 are front views schematically illustrating an operation of the can crusher shown in FIG. 11, whereas FIGS. 12b-1 and 12b-2 are side views corresponding to FIGS. 12a-1 and 12a-2.
As shown in the drawings, the conventional can crusher 1 includes: a case consisting of a door (not shown) and a case body 100; a can supply unit 120 installed on a support frame 110 included in the case body 100, and equipped with a can supply container 128 provided with an opening/closing plate 122, a limit switch 123, a proximity switch 124, and an electromagnet 126; a crushing unit 130 including a crushing container 132 having an inlet 131 for receiving cans supplied from the can supply unit 120, and a fixed plate mounted to one end of the crushing container 132, while including, within the crushing container 132, a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic motor and a cylinder 135 having a rod 135 carrying a crushing plate 136; a guide/discharge unit 140 arranged beneath the crushing unit, and equipped with a sorting plate 144 driven by a control motor 142; and collecting containers 150 arranged beneath the guide/discharge unit.
Each unit of the can crusher is controlled in a well-known fashion by a control box installed at the upper portion of the can crusher. A can supply plate is mounted to the door where the inlet is arranged. The can supply plate is hingable in a well known fashion.
In the conventional can crusher 1 having the above described configuration, when a can is supplied into the can supply unit, it is determined by the proximity sensor whether or not foreign matters are introduced along with the can. It is then determined, using the electromagnet, whether the supplied can is an iron can or an aluminum can. Thereafter, the sorting plate arranged at the guide/discharge unit moves to a collecting container selected based on the determined result. At the same time, the opening/closing plate is opened, thereby allowing the supplied can to be introduced into the crushing container of the crushing unit.
The can introduced in the crushing container is crushed between the fixed plate and the crushing plate mounted to the rod of the cylinder as the cylinder operates, and then discharged into a selected one of the collecting containers via the guide/discharge unit. Thus, cans supplied into the can crusher are crushed and sorted in accordance with the materials of those cans. Accordingly, convenience is provided in accordance with the sorted collection of waste cans.
However, the above mentioned conventional can crusher has a problem in that a lot of time is taken for one can to be discharged after being crushed and sorted because the can crusher has a complicated construction, and its crushing process involves a number of processing steps.
Therefore, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for crushing and sorting cans, having a simple construction and a minimum number of processing steps.
The invention provides a can crushing and sorting apparatus configured to drive its crushing plate in a gear-driven fashion using a gear operatively connected to a DC motor, thereby greatly reducing the manufacturing costs while considerably reducing the weight of the apparatus, so that the apparatus has a lightest possible construction.
The invention provides a method and apparatus for crushing and sorting cans which can simply, easily and conveniently punch cans containing flammable or explosive gas, thereby improving safety during crushing and sorting operations.
The invention provides a can crushing and sorting apparatus configured to easily achieve the replacement of a punching pin while allowing a user to easily use a punching lever.
The invention provides a method and apparatus for crushing and sorting cans which can not only easily achieve the crushing, sorting and collecting processes for cans, but also the simple and convenient collecting of waste paper cups by stacking those cups, and then crushing of the cups.
The invention provides a method and apparatus for crushing and sorting cans which can simply and conveniently collect waste paper cups by stacking those cups, and then crushing the cups, while being capable of conveniently identifying the amount of the stacked cups.
The invention provides a method and apparatus for crushing and sorting cans which can simply and conveniently collect waste paper cups by stacking those cups, and then crushing the cups, while being capable of preventing the residual liquid contents of the cups from leaking externally.
The invention provides a method and apparatus for crushing and sorting cans which can collect waste paper cups more efficiently.
In accordance with one aspect, the present invention provides a method for crushing and sorting cans by use of a can crushing device into which the cans are sequentially supplied, comprising: an object determining step for determining whether or not an object is supplied, and then whether or not the supplied object is a can or a foreign matter; a can supplying step for if it is determined that the supplied object is a can, supplying the can into the can crushing device; and a can crushing/sorting/discharging step for crushing the supplied can by a crushing plate installed in the can crushing device, sorting the crushed can using an electromagnetic force applied to the crushing plate in accordance with the material of the can, and then discharging the sorted can.
In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides a can crushing and sorting apparatus including a case consisting of a door and a case body, a can supply unit installed on a support frame included in the case body, and equipped with a can supply container provided with an opening/closing plate driven to be opened and closed by a drive motor, and a proximity switch mounted to a lower surface of the can supply container, a crushing and sorting unit for crushing and sorting cans supplied from the can supply unit, collecting containers arranged beneath the crushing and sorting unit, and a control unit for controlling each unit of the apparatus, wherein the crushing and sorting unit comprises: a frame fixedly mounted to the support frame for the can supply unit, and adapted to define a crushing chamber, the frame being opened at its top and bottom; a driving unit supported by the frame, and equipped with a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic motor, and a cylinder having a rod extending through the frame; and a crushing/sorting/discharging unit including sensors respectively mounted to an upper end of the frame at opposite lateral ends of the frame, a vertically-extending crushing plate mounted to a protruded end of the rod within an interior of the frame, and attached with electromagnets, and a support plate extending horizontally from a lower end of the crushing plate to be integral with the crushing plate, the support plate having a discharge hole while being arranged to be orthogonal to the crushing plate.
Preferably, the discharge hole of the support plate has a desired width to allow the crushed can to be discharged downwardly from a region where the support plate adjoins the crushing plate while being orthogonal to the crushing plate.
Preferably, the driving unit comprises a guide rail arranged at one side of the frame, and connected to a shaft extending through the frame to be coupled to the crushing plate, a rack slidably mounted on the guide rail outside the frame, and a pinion coupled to a DC motor, and engaged with the rack to slide along the guide rail in accordance with a rotation thereof carried out by the DC motor.
The can crushing and sorting apparatus may further comprise a punching unit including a punching box fitted in a fitting opening formed at an upper portion of the door near one side of the door while being fixedly mounted to the door, a shaft rotatably mounted at both ends thereof to opposite side walls of the punching box, respectively, a torsion spring coupled at one end thereof to one side wall of the punching box and at the other end thereof to the shaft, and a punching lever mounted at one end thereof to the shaft, and provided with a downwardly-extending punching pin.
The punching lever may be provided with a threaded hole for allowing the punching pin to be threadedly coupled to the punching lever, while having a foldable structure having two lever portions pivotably coupled to each other, and a support member integrally formed with one of the lever portions, and adapted to support the other lever portion.
The can crushing and sorting apparatus may further comprise a plurality of cup receiving holes formed at a lower portion of the door; and a paper cup collecting unit including guide members mounted to a back surface of the door to communicate with respective cup receiving holes, and adapted to downwardly guide paper cups introduced into the cup receive holes, and paper cup stackers mounted to the back surface of the door, and connected to respective guide members, in order to stack the paper cups introduced into the cup receiving holes. Each paper cup stacker may include a support plate adapted to support the paper cups introduced along an associated one of the guide members in a stacked state, and a guide plate arranged between the support plate and the associated guide member while being detachably mounted to the support plate and the associated guide member, in order to guide the introduced paper cups, thereby stably stacking the paper cups on the support plate.
The can crushing and sorting apparatus may further comprise a stacked cup amount display unit having viewing slots each formed at the door, and adapted to allow a user to view the amount of paper cups stacked in an associated one of the paper cup stackers.
The support plate may be provided with a downwardly-formed recess.
Meanwhile, each paper cup stacker may include a support ring, a plurality of guide rods fixed at upper ends thereof to the support ring while being uniformly spaced apart from one another in a circumferential direction, and a cup receiving member mounted to lower ends of the guide rods, and adapted to receive paper cups to be stacked, so that the paper cup stacker is detachably coupled to an associated one of the guide members.